3 die, 2 hurt in accident

Tuesday

Apr 30, 2013 at 12:01 AMApr 30, 2013 at 5:05 AM

ESCALON - Three Stockton residents died, two were injured - including a 3-year-old boy - and an 11-year-old boy was clinging to life following a single-vehicle crash Sunday evening on rural Dodds Road east of Escalon Bellota Road north of Escalon, the California Highway Patrol reported.

Joe Goldeen

ESCALON - Three Stockton residents died, two were injured - including a 3-year-old boy - and an 11-year-old boy was clinging to life following a single-vehicle crash Sunday evening on rural Dodds Road east of Escalon Bellota Road north of Escalon, the California Highway Patrol reported.

Five passengers and the 40-year-old driver were heading west on Dodds about 7:45 p.m. Sunday when, for unknown reasons, the 1987 BMW they were in went off the north edge of the roadway into a utility pole, resulting in the vehicle overturning in a field. Two people were ejected, according to the CHP, and live wires from the pole dropped across the roadway.

The utility poles along that stretch of Dodds Road are approximately 7 feet from the edge of the narrow roadway.

All the passengers in the five-passenger BMW were male, ranging in age from 3 to 40. Their relationship to one another was not made available Monday.

One of those who died was identified by the Stanislaus County Coroner's Office as Tony Martinez, 17, of Stockton. He was taken by air ambulance to Memorial Medical Center in Modesto, where he was pronounced dead Sunday night.

The 40-year-old driver and a 19-year-old passenger were pronounced dead at the scene, according to the CHP. Their names were not released Monday by the San Joaquin County Coroner's Office pending notification of family. Another 17-year-old passenger was taken to Doctors Hospital in Manteca with moderate injuries.

The two youngest passengers, 11 and 3, were flown by air ambulance to the University of California, Davis, Medical Center in Sacramento. The 11-year-old was last reported on life support, while the 3-year-old was reported to have suffered moderate injuries, according to the CHP.

The names of the three injured boys were not released because they are juveniles.

The investigation is ongoing, and it is unknown at this time if alcohol was a factor in the collision. The CHP did not provide information on whether seat belts or a child safety seat were being used, but it appears the BMW was carrying more passengers than it was built for.

Dodds Road is a popular route to get to Woodward Reservoir Regional Park in Stanislaus County. It is believed the occupants of the BMW had been with a larger group at the park and were heading back to Stockton, according to area residents who witnessed the chaotic aftermath of the crash.

"People showed up. They were very emotional, very loud, using foul language. I guess they were angry, emotional, sad. A pregnant woman was screaming for her babies," said neighbor Jose Pantoja, 30, who heard the crash from his home and came out to see what he could do to help.

Pantoja said an off-duty emergency medical technician just happened to be at the intersection of Dodds and Escalon Bellota roads when the crash occurred. The EMT rushed to the scene and immediately began rendering aid. He was not identified.

The impact of the crash sent the BMW hurling end over end about 50 feet into a farmer's field, leaving a debris path in its wake. The driver ended up underneath the crushed car, Pantoja said, while another victim was thrown at least 20 feet away.

"The littlest one was crying. He didn't look too well. He looked like he had broken bones," Pantoja said, referring to the 3-year-old boy.

Pantoja and another neighbor, Ron Bendix, who has lived on Dodds for 46 years, both said the road is used like a raceway.

"It's a fast road. A lot of people miss that stop sign," Bendix said, indicating the four-way stop at Escalon Bellota to the west of the crash scene.

Anyone with information regarding the collision is asked to call the Stockton CHP office at (209) 943-8666 and speak with Officer C. Wood.